Chasing Rainbows
by C.O. Yuan
Summary: She didn't know much better, and he didn't know anything at all. Maybe the answers lie at the end of the rainbow. [Drabbles for Ichigo and Rukia]
1. Chasing Rainbows

**Disclaimer**: I believe saying that I don't own all this, characters and all, is unnecessary.

**Note**: This is something like a semi-vignette. This is probably my first time writing like this, so please bear with me!

Chasing Rainbows

The rains were stopping, drops from heaven floating down to Earth. Despite my constant warnings, she had once again left my side. Her footsteps echoed emptily as her shadow skipped merrily through the street. She's a labyrinth. Unfortunately, she's a puzzle I can't quite figure out just yet. The worst part was that when you felt that you've got it all figured out, you get caught in a dead end.

The water splashed beneath her feet, a grin spreading over her face. It gave me the chills. Normally, she'd give everyone a plastic smile. It was very rare to see the genuine article. It was a shimmer through a mask, but, indeed, it was there. She never truly acted "happy" very often and this sudden burst caught me off guard.

"Hey!" I called to her. She never listened to me, anyhow. "Why the hell are you running? If you catch a cold, take care of yourself!"

Her small figure paused abruptly. She glared at me, apparently annoyed that I ruined her joy. Something made my insides move slightly. Though I was being responsible, I was taking her short moment of bliss away.

"Fool! You're letting it get away!"

My eyes widened. She stood her ground forcefully, her dark eyes staring at me with determination. She was tapping her foot on the pavement impatiently, waiting for a response.

"What's getting away?" I shot back at her. At that instant, her eyes widened as well. "That!" She pointed toward the sky, a prism of colors forming an arch in the sky: a rainbow. "Idiot! That's a rainbow! You can't chase a rainbow. Didn't they have rainbows where you came from?" I asked. That very moment, I noticed that I never should have said that.

"Rainbow?" she repeated quietly. Her head tilted to the side as she contemplated her next few sentences. I felt really lousy at the time. "They never came out in Soul Society. When it rained, it kept raining. Nothing came out after the rain."

I brought my umbrella over her head; short taps of the remnant raindrops still falling. "Don't worry. It won't leave. It'll be back." I retracted my umbrella, the rain finally stopping. "It'll greet you again." I muttered under my breath. For a fleeting moment, she was smiling again. Her sundress was soaked, but she was still happy. It's odd how she can change so quickly, like a chameleon. She's too hard to figure out, I suppose.

Maybe by the time I get her all figured out, she'd have caught a rainbow.


	2. Pin Prick

**Disclaimer**: It's needless to say that I don't own any of these things, characters and all. I admit it.

Pin Prick

"Ouch."

A small ray of sun danced through the window as a mother and her child were sitting quietly in the living room. "Oh, Ichigo. Did you poke yourself again?" she asked gently, cradling his bleeding hand in hers. He nodded fervently, orange hair bouncing. Her head rose, a genial smile dawning on her face. She kissed his finger, releasing his hand.

"Do you feel better?" she asked., seating him in her lap.

Once again, he nodded, hair bouncing again.

* * *

"Shit."

A pin dropped to the floor as Rukia scowled at her injury, cursing lightly. Looking up from his studies, Ichigo surveyed her movements on the floor, searching for the pin. "What are you doing?" he asked. She looked up, blue eyes steely as ever, but with miniscule tears forming at the sides.

"I'm looking for my pin. It pricked me." She said, holding her pointer finger up, tiny drops of bloodbleeding freely. He edged over to her, picking the pin and forcing it into a pincushion. "Be more careful. I'm not helping you next time." He said simply, sitting on the floor next to her.

He took her injured finger and placed a short peck upon it. In utter confusion, Rukia removed her hand from his and turned opposite him. "What the hell was that, you bastard?" she shrieked, blushing furiously. She leapt from her spot and entered the closet, muttering.

After that night, he learned never to treat her so delicately.


	3. Interdum

**Disclaimer**: I don't own... you should know by now.

**Note**: A tad OOC on Rukia's part. Takes time after Chapter 196-198. Didn't read it? Don't read this then, or you'll have a right jolly slap in the face. Right now, I'm reading quite a bit. If you've read _The Voyage of the Dawn Treader_ by C.S. Lewis, then you should know the following quote. It's like an opposite of the situation in the book, but it has the same meaning, sort of.

* * *

Interdum  
"_You knew we'd have to go back to our own worlds sooner or later."_  
"_Yes, but this is sooner."_

-_The Voyage of the Dawn Treader_, pg.241

It was always like her, never telling him where she was going and when she'd be back.

Ichigo sat on his bed, springs creaking as he lay down. Rukia merely followed him in and out of the room once each of the Soul Society members stepped out, spreading like leaves in the wind. It was just he and she… as it had always been. Though his eyes remained closed, he felt her stiff gaze on him. "Why are you staring?" he asked irritably.

She looked away and turned back to him. "What happened?" An eye creaked open. "What happened when?" he retorted, slightly confused.

"You've been acting really weird. What's up?" She blurted.

"Nothing. It's just this whole thing with those Arankaru, Aizen and everything." He said, shifting in his position. "Is that all?" Rukia asked, sitting on the floor, picking at the blankets on Ichigo's bed.

"Yes. What does it matter to you?"

"Absolutely nothing. It's just that you're different. And I mean that in a stupid way." Rukia added, bothering Ichigo the way she always did. "When you saw me again, you looked as if you'd never met me at all or I'd gone for years and years."

"Well, you were gone for a good long time. It was just…" he was cut off. "Surprising? Because, if you were surprised, I wonder if you are always that stupid looking when you are startled like that."

"Shut up. I wasn't acting stupid." He spat angrily.

"You know what, Ichigo. I won't shut up. It's really easy for you to tell me to do something, but I won't do it. I'm exactly like you. When they took me from this world, I told you _not_ to look for me. But you were stubborn and went anyway. You knew I'd leave sometime soon _when you first met me_. Hell! Maybe back then, you wanted me to leave even sooner!" she burst, steaming vehemently.

"It's not that I didn't want to see you, it's that…"

"Maybe I shouldn't have come at all!"

Suddenly, the atmosphere of the room had changed completely, from when Matsumoto had punched Kon. It was filled with mixed emotions, such as animosity and confusion. He stepped up and stood before her.

"You're the one who always gets these stupid ideas. It's not that I didn't want to see you. It's that… if you came back, I'd never know when you'd come back up and go away again. You're too damn good at moving around."

Rukia's feet shuffled nervously as she thought for a fleeting moment.

"Well, you should've told me. And you should've known already."

"Known what?"

"You should've known that I'd leave. I don't really belong here. You know that very well. But just because I've left, you haven't got rid of me yet. There's going to come a time when I'll leave and come back and leave again and come back again." She paused, still staring at her ever-moving feet. "You'll never really get rid of me. Remember that sometime soon you'll see me again, lose me again, and lose me again."

"You're just a headache I'll never get rid of." He said, relating.

"Sure. You can put it that way." Rukia said, confused at the analogy he'd just thrown at her. She turned to sleep in the closet again, but stopped in her tracks. "But the most important thing to remember is that when I leave, I'll always come back." She faced the closet again and opened it gently. A shower of clothes fell onto her as she toppled.

"Idiot! I'm not cleaning your stupid closet! You aren't going to sleep until there's enough room for me to sleep." Rukia shrieked, pulling a blue t-shirt from her face.

And that was how the night was spent. Ichigo stayed until 2 a.m., cleaning as Rukia slept on his bed. He was sure he missed her. And it was clear now. When she'd leave, she will come back… sometime soon.

End.

* * *

**Note**: "_Interdum"_ means "_Sometime"_ or_ "Now and Then"_ in Latin. 


	4. Fiction

**Disclaimer:** It should be something like common knowledge that I don't own Bleach. So… you learned something, huh? Oh yes, and this is about and around Bleach 197, so I'm sure you can't get very lost, all you avid manga readers. Don't mind if I summarize a few things. If you aren't up to date with the manga, you should be a little lost with the story. Sorry for limiting you, people.

Fiction

_There once was a prince…_

"Would you stop being a nerd and play with us? You're making us look like idiots." Said a voice. A quick thud crossed the room, Ichigo rubbing his head angrily. "You're acting like an idiot now, so what's the difference if I point it out?" he said, picking up his book. "I'm going, you guys." He said briefly, walking out of the courtyard. Sado Yasutora, Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima stood, wearing blank expressions of disdain and sadness. (Well, aside from Chad, who always seems a tad disdainful.)

… _Whose brave companions were three brave knights._

"He's leaving us for homework? Nerd!" Keigo exclaimed incredulously.

"I believe so, Asano-san." Mizuiro said, working with his cell phone.

"Stop talking like that!"

* * *

"I'm going to take a shower, so…" Ichigo started, shortly being cut off by a familiar raven-haired girl, twiddling her thumbs innocently. The night air tossed her hair slightly. She stood to close the window of his room, at the second floor of the clinic. 

_He lived in a tower with a sweet damsel._

"I know, I know. _Don't go straying out of the room, anything more than the closet, you bitch. I don't want to have to look for you again. _I've got it already." She mocked airily, having a dismissive hand over her head. Ichigo fumed at her response, but calmed after a quick glance at the time.

"Shut up. I'm serious this time. If anyone catches you up here, I won't even begin to tell you how…"

"I've been here before, you know. If you are going to take a shower, then do so already." Rukia said, frowning at how irresponsible he found her to be. "Just keep out of trouble. I can't lock the door, or they'll think someone is raiding the place." Ichigo said, opening the door.

Rukia sighed, bored. She walked into the closet, disappointed that she couldn't sleep in a better place next time around. (But of course, we know that she did move onto a new place to sleep, which didn't turn out to be all that great.) She caught a hard lump from under her bed sheet, finding a hardcover book. Her first impulse was to stay up until Ichigo came back to throttle him with the book, for his carelessness. But the book also intrigued her, causing her to wonder if her colloquialism could increase by reading it, as it did for her manga.

_There once was a brave prince, whose companions were three brave knights. They rode together with white stags and romped about the lands as knights and princes should. One day, the prince met a damsel in need. He protected her and she was grateful. But alas, the damsel's dog wanted her to return home, away from the prince. She was taken away, forced back. The prince produced and army, consisting of an archer, a princess (who loved the prince dearly), a healer, and two knights. They came to the village of the princess and fought. When the prince found the damsel, she refused to leave, for his sake._

_When he returned home, he felt empty._

_With the damsel's return, with many other mages and knights, the knight felt complete again. But his army had fallen greatly. The archer disappeared, a knight was wounded and the princess could no longer watch. She wanted the prince so badly, loving every bit of him with her heart's deepest content. She felt like her whole life depended on his love and safe…_

"What the hell are you doing?" said a voice, abruptly.

Rukia shrieked, startled by Ichigo's tall frame at the closet door. He covered her mouth, muffling her hard breathing. "Shut up. My family's almost asleep. If you wake them, I don't know what'll happen." He ordered.

She calmed herself eventually and sighed. "I wasn't doing anything. I was just reading this stupid book, which you foolishly left in my sleeping quarters." Ichigo snatched it out of Rukia's hands, bewildered. "That's not yours to read!" he said, shoving it in his desk drawer.

"Well, don't leave it lying around, idiot." She grumbled, snapping the closet door shut. "Damn prince. Brave my ass. You're pretty damn complete when I'm not around." She groaned to the pillows. "It's me that isn't complete." she ended to herself. Ichigo sighed. In several minutes, he was asleep.

Insider the desk drawer was a label on the book: _Orihime Inoue, English Assignment 6: Fiction_

Maybe it wasn't as fictional as some people might have thought… but apparently, to Ichigo, it was. It was all a story.

* * *

**Note**: Was it Ichigo, Orihime or Rukia centric? Nope. Also, there was a hint of one-sided IchiOri, but yes… one-sided _all the same_. Do I mean to make Ichigo seem oblivious to love? No, _of course not_. I'm just being honest. It would be totally OOC ness if I made him all mature and wise when it comes to stuff like that. (Ha! Ha!) Okay, so yeah. Reading & reviewing is for radical readers and reviewers. 

**Happy Birthday to ME and Jonah.**


	5. Aurum

**Disclaimer:** Do I own Bleach? Hell no. I wish I did, though. I am assuming you do too.

**Note (not important)**: I don't have much to say. Though, I did have a very enjoyable birthday. I received _A Series of Unfortunate Events_ and it is… wonderful. Wheee! (Damn you, Fiona. You could just die.) Oh, and if you like the indie-alternative-rock scene, listen to Panic! At The Disco, JamisonParker, Amber Pacific, or Armor For Sleep if you already aren't. Yeah for Camisado! (Fangirls rant about random things.) Oh yeah. Also, I am in love with TMC (that Turner Classic Movie thing) channel for playing Hayao Miyazaki's movies. How good it was to watch Totoro again. Yeeh.

P.S. Erm... bad language is used only to keep in character.

**Aurum  
**For Jerome, the not-so squalor.  
Happy Birthday!

One can find anything rare, depending on where you come from. Snow could be rare in the Pacific and barbeque can be rare in Antarctica. We'll take Ichigo Kurosaki for instance, just to make a clear definition. Anybody around would know he's a pretty nice guy. A rarity in Ichigo's case would be a fervent, honest-to-goodness smile. Seeing one donning on his face would mean that something absolutely wonderful had happened. That is as precious as gold.

When Ichigo smiled that afternoon, nothing had happened.

Nobody was around to gasp at his facial expression of bliss… nobody but Rukia Kuchiki. Though, not even a gasp of surprise left her lips.

12:00pm  
"Happy Birthday, Rukia-chan!" chimed an enthusiastic Keigo. A small group of people was huddled on the roof, around Rukia. Despite the crisp January winds billowing dismally, the group was happy to be around her. "Thank you very much, Asano-san." She replied daintily. Ichigo was absolutely disgusted by it. Though it was a special day to her, couldn't she act normal for once?

The group inhaled in unison and broke into a terrible song. Mizuiro. Keigo and Chad were singing, inviting him to sing along. "I don't think so." Was his final reply

Disregarding the low quality of singing, Rukia rocked her head to the left and right to the tune, grinning slightly.

The school bell, signaling them to wrap it up, killed off the last verse of "How old are you now?" Both Rukia and Ichigo were relieved. Rukia had no intentions at all to divulge her age. Ichigo had no intentions to be badgered to sing.

12:36pm  
"Ichigo."

He turned his head slightly, seeing Rukia. She held a picture in her hands, grinning broadly. On it was a rabbit holding and ice cream cone in one paw and a soda can in the other. Ichigo took about 30 seconds to decipher what it was at all. After figuring it out, he crossed his arms into a large X.

"No way." He whispered. In return, she had pouted sadly, mouthing, _"It's my day"_

"I don't care." He returned.

He lied. He did care.

She knew. He always gives into her demands.

1:00pm  
"You've got what?"

"Detention. I've no idea why though."

Ichigo was in for it. Rukia had shot him a sad glare and a swift kick to the stomach. "That's what you get for not taking me for ice cream and instant sugar water." He sighed exasperatedly. "It's _soda_ and I'm almost certain that Sensei hadn't given me detention for not filling up your stupid body with sugar!" he retorted.

Rukia stamped away, knowingly crushing Ichigo's right foot. "Bastard. Nyah!" she said loudly, stretching her skin at the bottom of her eye and sticking out her tongue.

"Bitch."

4:30pm  
"You can leave now, Kurosaki."

Ichigo left the classroom and waltzed out the school gates. Halfway home, he found Rukia sleeping on the sidewalk. She wasn't sleeping just anywhere. She was sleeping at a canopied ice cream booth. He carried her home, letting the storeowner know that she was with him.

6:21pm  
The scent of fresh hot chocolate was aromatic. Rukia was quickly wakened by it. Ichigo had a cup to his mouth and one to her nose. She hadn't spoken, but she had taken the cup. She sipped and quickly pulled a face of disgust. "What is this crap?"

"Hot chocolate." Ichigo replied, unperturbed by her hostile behavior.

"I wanted ice cream." She whined hoarsely.

"For one, you don't eat ice cream or drink cold vending machine soda in winter. That's stupid." He sighed. "For the second, you don't get what you want by sleeping."

"Shut up. I didn't sleep there because I wanted it that bad. That thought is blatantly stupid." She frowned. "Nobody took me home." Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed, setting the chocolate onto the table. "You know where home is."

"I can't get in if you don't open the window for me. People would call the authorities if I broke your window."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"I know."

A shattering silence crossed the room. Rukia finished her chocolate and entered the closet. "You owe me ice cream, bitch." She said, getting inside.

"Yeah. Sure I do." He smiled, dark eyes shining a golden shimmer. Personally, if Ichigo were to write this chapter he'd rename it "Appreciation".

* * *

**Note**: Not sure if you saw the significance of gold... I didn't. That's because gold has nothing to do with it. It's actually _rarity_ that is the main focus of the chapter. If I'm not mistake, aurum is gold in Latin, thus making gold Au on the periodic table. Oh yeah. So… I am waiting for ASoUE: Book the Twelfth… waiting…. Still waiting. Damn it, I'm still waiting! 

I will love you for as long as I am able to if you review. Oh yeah, and my grammar sucks.


	6. Bonus: Magi

**Disclaimer:** Bleach equals Kubo Tite. Kubo Tite is not congruent to C.O. Yuan. I'm not quite sure that even counted as a legitimate math equation, but… you get it. I own nothing.

**Note**: This was a private request. _Shhh!_ If you have any suggestions or anything, review for it or send me a nice little note. (Grin) I heart you people. I had something HitsuHina prepared but am not sure if it's as great as I want it to be. (Hides under a conveniently placed boulder)

**Magi  
**(Ishida & Orihime)

For those whose lives were hurt (or even lost) during the Philippine stampede at Philsports Arena  
Sometimes, in a world stricken by poverty, love and friendship take a back seat

* * *

**Appreciation**: _n._

A word like that is nothing to most people, but means almost everything to people like Inoue Orihime. A person normally counts good deeds by how much people notice. Orihime needs no "Thank you", but once and a while, she wishes one would just come up. Sometimes those two words can help anybody through absolutely everything. It would also help you notice that you are not alone, hearing a voice to break such a bone-shattering silence.

Currently, Orihime was standing alone.

* * *

Her blurry silhouette was cast as long as 7 feet into the pavement. The sun was peeking through malicious clouds, pouring a gentle mist on the city. The mist broke into hard drops. Apparently, the sky was crying. One could only imagine Orihime's reaction. "It's okay, sky. Things will get better." That was exactly her reaction. The sky bawled harder and harder, thrusting bolts of thunder across the night sky, illuminating the streets angrily. "Look at things on the bright si…" 

A blinding piece of light sparkled at her eyes, as a swift budge thrust her body into a nearby puddle.

Inoue's eyes opened.

Her floral dress was stained in grayish water and dirt. Along with that, Ishida Uryuu was atop her body. He opened his eyes tentatively, a used-to-be lemon yellow umbrella, smoking slightly, sticking from under his right arm. Both the umbrella and his body were covered in the same water. He groaned.

"Are you okay, Ishida-kun?"

He faced his head toward her. "Oh. Yes, of course." He said with a bite of curtness in his voice, though it was not intended. Habits die hard, he thought. One can never really be rid of a common habit. He lifted his frame from hers in a swift motion, hoping not to hurt her. She bowed her head, wondering what she'd done. But before being given the opportunity to think, Ishida had pulled her put from the soaking ground.

"Come with me."

The two huddled quickly from puddle to puddle, screeching to a stop at an apartment. "Ooh." Orihime gasped. Once again, she was pulled, but into the apartment. The two entered an unusually clean foyer and into a small living area. As Orihime placed herself on the sofa, Ishida disappeared into the hall and reappeared with a larger cotton towel. He placed on Orihime's lap, taking a seat about 2 feet away from her. Typical shyness would be expected anyway, especially from someone as standoffish as himself.

Ishida had another towel, a much smaller one for himself. He quickly brushed himself with it, wincing. Orihime observed intently. "Are you hurt, Ishida-kun?"

"No." he replied, once again with his usual curt voice. Her face remained still, but her eyes gave away that she had been taken aback by his response. Her soft eyes peered around Ishida's thin frame and spotted a thin patch of blood on the sofa's armrest. Suddenly, she heaved herself to the floor and tore a piece of her skirt. It was at this moment that Ishida was taken aback. He found her to look radiant in her clothing, but now, it was soiled!

"Um." He muttered.

Orihime looked up at him and asked, "Do you have a bowl?" He pointed toward the kitchen as she headed in that direction. She removed a bowl from under a sewing kit and another white box. She returned with a bowl of warm water, the strip of cloth inside it. Without making a sound, Ishida watched her place the cloth under his arm and over his shoulder, water seeping through the burns. He winced again, but felt strangely relieved at the soothing water.

"Thank you." He muttered absently.

That was it. That one moment could not have meant much more to Orihime. Despite the sound of half-heartedness in his voice, Ishida thanked her. Inside of her, she thanked him back.

"But you know, there is a first aid kit next to the bowls."

* * *

**Note**: I have a headache. It's irritating me right now. Oh yeah. If you're wondering why Ishida got burned and why the umbrella was smoking, it's because they were hit by lightning. Romantic, huh? 

Chocolate hearts for flippin' sweet reviewers


	7. Dramatic Irony

**Disclaimer:** Bleach is not mine. Oh well. This story is. Fair enough. Well, not really.

**Note**: I'm so into reading the ASoUE. You go, you brilliant author/pseudo-arsonist/investigator/fire fighter, you. It's fun to use word play. This story is sort of… what I call a tribute to Lemony… or maybe it's just a way to show that I can use word play too. This particular one is pretty long, but I enjoyed writing it _a whole lot_, probably because I am blind in one eye and like using that to the fullest extent of advantages! I can totally relate to Rukia in this one.

Please be gentle…

Dramatic Irony

For Jerome, who is _way_ too nice for his own good… get well soon, friend  
& For Derrick, who erm… can annoy the hell out of me to no avail?

* * *

**Dramatic irony**: _n._

This is a term mainly relating to the audience and the characters. _Dramatic irony_ is a situation when those in the audience turn into veritable gods. They watch the characters continue their lives, knowing so much more that the characters themselves sometimes never find out. The irony of Romeo & Juliet is that we _know_ Romeo will kill himself, and we _know_ Juliet is not dead. The main point was that we had no control over what happened to Romeo or Juliet, despite our desire to scream "No, Romeo!" or "No! Juliet, he's still alive! Don't stab yourself!"

After the show, we turn human again, just as the characters always were and remained to be.

Just…human.

* * *

The spokes whistled softly on the pitch-black pavement. 

"Run faster!" screeched a voice. "Shut up." With that short statement, the whistling stopped abruptly, leaving the street silent. "See here, my sister's going to kill me if I don't return this bike to her. You're lucky I'm a generous person." Keigo Asano stated, stepping a foot on the street. He leaned the stopper down and slowly slipped off the seat.

"Then go give it to her, why don't you!" Ichigo grunted, still panting from his chase after Keigo.

"What… you can't be serious!" Keigo screamed incredulously. "Fine then! You are too cruel!" There it was; the old Asano drama. "I do you a favor, but you appreciate it so little! I only did this for Kuchiki-san. But since you offered, here you go." Gingerly, he took a sleeping figure from off the bike. Rukia Kuchiki was sighing in her sleep, eyes tightly shut. He laid her figure on Ichigo's and hopped back onto the bike.

"I'd hate to leave such a wonderful female with you, but my sister may throttle me in a matter of minutes." Keigo stated huffily. Ichigo grimaced dully. "That'll benefit a lot of the world, you know that?" Keigo's eyes widened into saucers as he rode off, "You bruise my heart, Ichigo!"

Sighing deeply, Ichigo lifts Rukia's figure. It slipped and dropped to the pavement with a crash. With a muffled groan, she sat up. "Is school over already?" she muttered. "Yeah. You slept through last period. Keigo had to pedal you here." He stared down at her. "Don't think I'm carrying you. I told you not to come if you felt sick, but you're so damn stubborn." Rukia scowled vehemently and stomped on his foot. "You act _so_ childish for your age."

"I don't need you to carry me! I can go on my own!" she cried. She flushed, embarrassed and enraged. He always made her feel low.

Seeking revenge was easy for Rukia.

Simple as pie!

She rubbed her eyes and thought of _exactly_ how to get her revenge.

Still seated on the pavement, she waved her hands frantically, blinking furiously. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Cut it out. You're acting like a stupid child." She didn't reply in her old, insulting way. Instead, she continued to flail her arms around, stopping once and a while to rub her eyes. "Where is that coming from?" she replied, waving her hands away from his direction. "Where on Earth are you? I can't see a thing! When you dropped me, you must have hit my eyes, you bastard!"

For a moment, Ichigo stopped to think.

She could be lying.

But, in turn, she could also be telling the truth.

But that would make it his fault! Guilt sirens were sounding off in his mind already.

To test, Ichigo squatted down, placing his bag on the ground. He stretched the skin over her eyes, examining closely. Rukia remained still, hoping not to move her pupils. Ichigo frowned, sighing heavily. The misty-eyed look she had made her seem so sad and helpless. "Let's go." he said, slightly resigned.

"Go where?"

"Home." He said quietly, taking her hand. He stroked her cheek sadly, truly sorry.Fortunately for him,shecould not see his disposition... sort of. After he seated her on his back, he trudged home with her resting softly.

* * *

**Really, really ironic irony**: _slang… or probably not even counted as a word_

Now, as gods, we know that Rukia is not blind. But of course, as a character, Ichigo does not know that. As gods, we are supposedly supposed to know all… but now, we turn human again, plain and no longer ethereal. We have no idea how things will end up.

We're human again…

* * *

The sun had set. 

The table was absent of food, part of the wooden table still warm from the plates formerly placed on them.

The clock's hands were ticking softly as Rukia tapped her foot on Ichigo's headboard. Ichigo's footsteps echoed from downstairs up, making Rukia stir slightly. Ichigo waltzed in, a box of food in his hand. He scowled at her disposition. He sat beside Rukia, lowering the mattress of the bed. "Here." He muttered.

In the box was a sole piece of onigiri, fit for a small palette such as hers. Her hands patted against his bedding until it reached the edges of the box. She slid her fingers across the surface, fingertips meeting the soft, sticky rice surface. She took it and frowned. There was an Umeboshi in it. She hated them. She took a bite and cringed harshly.

"You!" she squealed hysterically. "These are terrible! Why didn't you get the ones on the table once you got home? Those taste better than these." Ichigo grinned satisfactorily. "As I suspected! You can see, dumb ass! I didn't even stop in the kitchen when we got home. I could tell from the beginning. I might've left a bruise, but you can't go blind that way."

Rukia flushed, feeling more embarrassed than ever. Ichigo stood up. Rukia closed her eyes, not wanting to see what would happen next.

"If you want me to carry you, just ask, idiot." He groaned unsympathetically, kissing the bruise on her eyes.

* * *

**Note**: I'm sleepy. Reviews aren't important now, but when I wake up, they will. Make me wake up happy! _R-E-V-I-E-W!_


	8. Private

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach. Obvious fact, ne?

**Note**: I haven't updated in _ages_, due to summer stumpage and my computer frying on me. Sorry, oh so sorry! This story might not even make sense to many, but I've been on hiatus and I'm still trying to get back into the groove.

Private  
For a friend, who thinks tax return phone calls are funny

Up on the roof, nothing happened. Ichigo and his buddies would hang around and talk about the world. When I say talk about the world, I mean Keigo goes looking out across the courtyard, spazzing over millions of girls who have turned him down.

Other than that, nothing happened. Ever.

Rukia would occasionally ask Ichigo of the marvels of the world, things he'd usually neglect.

As Keigo stared down at another girl, he sobbed passionately, falling onto Mizuiro, who had been fiddling with his cell phone. "Do you see that?" Keigo whined deafeningly. Mizuiro looked down through the iron bars of the rooftop terrace and noticed a brunette, making out with a tall blonde boy.

"She said she wouldn't go out with me, because she was busy! She never mentioned having a boyfriend." He squealed, aching for attention from his friend. "And you believed her? Asano-san, can you recall the thousands of times a girl has said that to you?" Mizuiro asked bluntly, obviously too busy to tend to his friend's aching heart.

"You are so cruel!" Keigo cried, running to the other corned of the roof, leaving Mizuiro to continue his fiddling.

Meanwhile, Rukia continued to watch Keigo's would-be girlfriend. Ichigo sat; one eye opened and watched the sky fly by ever-so slowly. Now and then, he would glance down and see Orihime and Tatsuki, as they roamed the yard with the other girls. Catching Rukia's obvious peeping, Ichigo sighed.

"Stop watching them. It's rude." Ichigo scolded. Rukia shot a glare at him, obviously thinking of a genius comeback. Sadly, the comeback mobile was down with a busted motor, along with Keigo Asano's chick mobile. "I am not doing anything. If they are seen, then that is their problem. If I just happened to see them, it is also their problem." She said nonchalantly. "But you obviously know you are watching them. It wasn't an accident." He retorted

Rukia turned her head from the iron bars and stared at Ichigo. He didn't seem angry at her, but he was indeed lecturing her. She hated being lectured, especially by a boy, who is probably decades younger than her. What gave him the right to speak to her like that? "I don't think displays of affection should be represented like that. Anybody could see them. It is so unsanitary to have contact like that. It's so… dirty." Ichigo sighed, giving up the matter entirely. He really didn't want to even try explaining that the bacterial exchange through lips was a form off exchanging love.

"Say what you want." With that, he took a sip of his last juice box. It was cold. It was lemonade.

"You said you didn't have anything to drink!" Rukia yelled, aghast that she had been duped, lied to, and utterly made a fool of in the face of the summer sun. "Damn you, lying bastard! It is scorching hot and you can't even give me one?"

"You said you didn't want one."

"When did I say that?"

"This morning"

"Well, I changed my mind!"

Ichigo was tired, tired of arguing and tired of arguing with Rukia. She was the most oblivious person on the planet. "Here, take my lemonade and quit talking." He said, shoving the small box in her hands. Rukia smiled; delighted that she would defeat the heat with the lovely taste of…

"Le…le mo…"

"Lemonade, damn it. It is lemon juice and sugar. It tastes pretty good." Ichigo explained, putting the remnants of his lunch away.

Rukia drank it, exhaling solemnly as she took the last sip. "Good stuff, this future has."

As I said, on the roof, nothing happened…ever. There was no romance, hugging or anything else. Ichigo ate. Rukia learned. Keigo sobbed. Mizuiro…Mizuiro…ed. Even if something _did _happen, nobody would see them. From so high up, only the clouds and butterflies would see them. Nobody would have seen them if they danced naked. Nobody would see them if they did the Macarena with bunnies. And, nobody would have seen the bacterial exchange of affection.

Just as if… it never happened… ever.

* * *

**Note**: I really, really wanted to put in the Macarena in there. It is awesome. Well, not really. I just like it because it is the only dance I am physically capable of doing. I am not built to waltz or none of that jazz. I'll be writing more often, now that school has started back up again, so yeah. Thanks for reading.

Review and make me feel loved. Heart Cake for reviewers! And who doesn't love the cake?


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